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Due to a communication breakdown, the Kolkata's Air Traffic Control (ATC) lost contact with 85 airborne aircrafts for 10 minutes, risking lives of thousands of passengers. 
 
Thirty five controllers scrambled for mobile phones as radars and vital VHF radio link failure continued for 1 hour 40 minutes. The screens that display positions of aircraft in Kolkata air traffic region went blank. 
 
"What happened is a controller's nightmare. Even landlines were not working. But, we managed to contact Nagpur and Varanasi ATC to relay information to pilots," a controller said. 
 
The controllers then switched to the emergency protocol and turned to the very high-frequency communication sets to contact airborne pilots. 
 
There were around 85 planes in the ATR and controllers had no control over 30. 
 
Moreover, they also lost contact with their counterparts in Dhaka and Myanmar. 
 
The incident started at 7.35 am and the BSNL-maintained link was restored at 9.15am. 
 
The incident will be probed by Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India.

​Kolkata ATC lost link with 85 aircrafts for 10 minutes and we skipped a heartbeat

Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword> and Ericsson on Monday demonstrated a throughput of over 1 GBPS on the telecom operator's live <keyword id="11446337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="5G-trial-network">5G trial network</keyword> in <keyword id="6361586" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gurgaon">Gurgaon</keyword>'s Cyber Hub. When contacted, Ericsson confirmed the development. "Bharti Airtel...and Ericsson...today demonstrated a throughput of over 1 GBPS on Bharti's live 5G trial network in Gurgaon's Cyber Hub," Ericsson confirmed. Sources said Airtel has lit up its 5G trial network in Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, and that the site is operating in the 3500 MHz band as per Telecom Department norms, and delivering throughput of over 1 Gbps. To put a perspective, 1GBPS would download a full 4k movie in less than a minute. Airtel has been allotted 5G trial spectrum in 3500 MHz, 28 GHz and 700 MHz in <keyword id="66" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword> NCR, Mumbai, <keyword id="6354925" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kolkata">Kolkata</keyword> and Bengaluru. It may be recalled that Department of Telecom (<keyword id="16054" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="DoT">DoT</keyword>) had last month allocated spectrum to operators to start 5G trials, in the country. The trials will be conducted at various locations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Gujarat, Hyderabad, among others, say industry sources. Telecom operators have been allocated spectrum in 700 Mhz bands, 3.3-3.6 gigahertz (Ghz) band and 24.25-28.5 Ghz band across various locations. The trial spectrum allocation came after the Department of Telecom (DoT), on May 4, approved applications from <keyword id="6354504" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-jio">Reliance Jio</keyword>, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and MTNL for conducting 5G trials without using technologies from Chinese companies. The DoT had approved trials of 5G with Ericsson, Nokia, <keyword id="10591" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> and C-DOT. In addition, Reliance Jio Infocomm will be conducting trials using its own indigenous technology. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/sona-comstar-ipo-price-gmp-should-you-subscribe/articleshow/83505013.cms">Sona Comstar IPO worth ₹5,550 crore opens today – find out if this EV battery player has enough juice for a long ride</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/why-dodla-dairy-has-no-plans-to-expand-beyond-southern-india/articleshow/83503817.cms">Here’s why Dodla Dairy has no plans to expand beyond southern India for at least the next two years even with its IPO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-group-under-sebi-scanner-on-market-manipulation/articleshow/83501698.cms">Gautam Adani loses over $7 billion in net worth after questions over the meteoric rise in group stocks</a>

Airtel and Ericsson demo over 1 GBPS throughput on live 5G trial network in Gurgaon's Cyber Hub

<ul><li>Gavin Paris is a streetwear <keyword id="11914466" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fashion-brand" source="Orion">fashion brand</keyword> creating gender-neutral oversized <keyword id="6373481" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="clothing" source="Orion">clothing</keyword>. </li><li>In just 7 months of operations, the startup made sales of ₹1.4 crore - thanks to the marketing genius of co-founder &amp; CTO, Ashutosh Roy, who has 0% equity in the company. </li><li>Though impressed with the startup’s sales and product quality, the sharks backed out because of the unfair equity structure between the co-founders. </li></ul>Many times, it’s not just the product that wins over the <keyword id="11924074" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="shark-tank-india" source="Orion">Shark Tank India</keyword> panel, but also the person pitching the product. Something similar happened when founders Kishor Jairamka and Ashutosh Roy pitched their streetwear fashion brand, Gavin Paris, on <keyword id="13768438" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shark-tank-india-season-2" source="Orion">Shark Tank India Season 2</keyword> on Monday, February 6. However, what was surprising was that most judges on the panel offered to invest in Roy, and not in Gavin Paris, for any other startup that he may run. All the sharks were left duly impressed by Roy’s marketing skills and were shocked at his almost non-existent equity share in Gavin Paris. Consequently, he received not one, but two funding offers - from CarDekho.com co-founder Amit Jain and boAt co-founder Aman Gupta. “Ashutosh, if you ever want to start a business, contact me for funds,” remarked Jain. Gupta added, “if he (Jain) doesn’t give a good deal, come to me!” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Co-founder without equity ‘practically running the company’" comment="subhead2" text="Co-founder without equity ‘practically running the company’">Co-founder without equity ‘practically running the company’</cmsannotation> Founded in 2022, Gavin Paris is a Kolkata-based startup that creates gender-neutral oversized clothing. By tapping into the current popularity of oversized fashion, the startup generated sales worth ₹1.4 crore in just 7 months of operations - only by selling on their own website. And that was primarily because of Roy’s marketing genius. 26-year-old Roy and 40-year-old Jairamka are family friends. Roy, who functions as the company’s chief technology officer (CTO), is a BTech graduate who founded his own startup, TechOrion, in his second year of college – and it stopped operations in 2021. Jairamka, meanwhile, has a 15-year-old family business - a manufacturing plant of packaged drinking water, currently being headed by his younger brother. Roy shared that the monthly spend on digital marketing (on Facebook and Instagram) was anywhere between ₹5-6 lakh. Moreover, in just 7 months of operations, the startup had 115k followers on Instagram. “You (Roy) do the marketing on the website - you practically run the entire business,” added Amit Jain. On further inquiry, the sharks realised that while Roy was clearly the reason behind Gavin Paris’ phenomenal sales, he had no stake in the company - 100% equity was with Jairamka, who had invested ₹50 lakh in the company. “I have 100% equity. Ashutosh is on a commission model - later, when we register the company, we’ll discuss the equity. We’ve verbally agreed on 10% equity (for Roy),” shared Jairamka on the show. Roy shared that he receives ₹25 as commission per product, which translates to a monthly earning of ₹1 lakh. “There are two parts of your business- backend i.e. production which you’re (Jairamka) handling. Second is value creation, which includes technology, marketing, and user understanding - it’s the most important and captures more value, that’s handled by Ashutosh. The guy who is responsible for value creation, you’ve kept him on a commission model,” commented Anupam Mittal, founder, Shaadi.com <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="‘Robbed the kid blind’" comment="subhead2" text="‘Robbed the kid blind’">‘Robbed the kid blind’</cmsannotation> The sharks were impressed by the quality of the products and the nominal pricing, but expressed their concerns over what they deemed to be an unfair division of equity. Roy not only handled the marketing but also answered many of the questions the sharks posed about the startup - from the future vision to the target audience, profit margins, and even the challenges the company was facing. While Jain commented that Jairamka had “robbed the kid blind,” Mittal believed that even the proposed equity split was unjust. “You (Roy) seem very naive to me, and you (Jairamka) appear to be over-smart. What’s happening is unjust in my opinion… Ashutosh, I feel you should sit with him (Jairamka) and assert your rights. Stand up for yourself and demand what you deserve,” shared Mittal while backing out from investing. Namita Thapar, executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, also backed out because she didn’t believe the product had a strong USP to scale in a cluttered market. Jain, meanwhile, backed out because he didn’t believe Jairamka understood the importance of his co-founder. “The day he (Roy) leaves, your business will shut down. How will you generate business in the absence of digital marketing and technology? Where will you sell?” remarked Jain, while also adding that he felt Roy deserved a fair equity share. BoAt co-founder Gupta also backed out but advised Roy to not lose sight of the important things - and even made him an offer to branch out on his own. “Fight with him. Stop working and take the shares. If he doesn’t agree, I have an offer for you -start the same business with me. Please think about yourself,” said Gupta. Jain also made the same offer as Gupta, again adding that Roy’s marketing skills were truly commendable. Sugar Cosmetics’ co-founder Vineeta Singh, however, made an offer for Gavin Paris - ₹30 lakh for 10% equity, and ₹20 lakh in debt at a 12% interest rate - but on the condition that Roy received a 40% equity stake. This valued the company at ₹1.5 crore. However, the deal fell through as Jairamka didn’t want to offer a 40% equity stake to Roy. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/after-chinese-apps-the-indian-government-cracks-down-on-indian-betting-and-quick-loan-appsheres-why/articleshow/97690062.cms">After Chinese apps, the Indian government cracks down on Indian betting and quick loan apps—here’s why</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/telegram-announced-new-features-translating-chats-media-permissions-in-the-list/slidelist/97684731.cms">From translating chats to media permissions and more, Telegram announced new features</a>

Shark Tank India: Judges back a co-founder but not his company due to its unjust equity structure

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="136786" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Spirit-Airlines">Spirit Airlines</keyword> canceled <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spirit-airlines-cancels-50-percent-flights-fifth-day-of-disruptions-2021-8">more than 1,000 flights</a> this week in six straight days of disruptions.</li><li>We talked to a Spirit customer-service agent about working through the meltdown. </li><li>She described dealing with crying customers and stranded crew members. </li></ul>When Spirit Airlines <keyword id="6357081" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="employees">employees</keyword> walked into work on Sunday, airports across the country were in utter chaos. Customers were screaming and crying, demanding to know why hundreds of <keyword id="6367662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="flights">flights</keyword> were being canceled. Part of the problem: Most staff had no idea either."We were not aware why the flights started canceling," one Spirit employee who works in customer service told Insider. "It was one after the other. I had an anxiety attack, thinking maybe something like 9/11 was happening."More than 1,000 Spirit Airlines flights were canceled this week in an epic meltdown caused by a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spirit-speaks-out-on-flight-cancellations-meltdown-trying-to-reboot-2021-8">poorly timed combination</a> of bad weather, system outages, and staffing issues.The low-cost carrier <a href="https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today">canceled</a> 260 flights on Friday and 402 flights on Thursday, marking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spirit-airlines-cancels-50-percent-flights-fifth-day-of-disruptions-2021-8">six straight days</a> of disruptions despite Spirit's reassurance that cancellations would start falling. The Spirit staffer - one of almost 9,000 Spirit employees - requested anonymity to speak freely about the situation, though her identity is known to Insider. She has worked for the airline for seven years and said she stays at the company for its flight discounts, which allow her to visit her son in the military who's stationed abroad. "I'm exhausted," she said, adding that some Spirit workers felt as though they couldn't take breaks or time to eat lunch, despite working long hours.She said customers and workers alike could be seen crying throughout the airport. Stranded crew members and passengers whose flights were canceled slept on the floor and on benches. The international flight zone transformed into a temporary rebooking area, as the terminal overflowed with people waiting in lines for hours on end. The customer-service agent said most passengers were extremely frustrated and that some became aggressive. The most difficult part for her, she said, was not being able to help groups with infants or elderly family members. At one point, she spent four hours trying to help a group after the company's rebooking system crashed. When she finally got the information she needed from her supervisor, the family was nowhere to be found."There's definitely some angry people," Spirit CEO Ted Christie said Thursday, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/06/spirit-airlines-ceo-on-what-caused-the-carriers-meltdown.html">CNBC</a>. "Right now, all I can say is we're very sorry for what happened."During the peak of the meltdown, Spirit announced that employee shifts would require "mandatory overtime due to irregular operations," according to the Spirit staffer, who also provided a copy of a company flyer announcing the policy. She said this led her and other employees to work until 3 a.m. one day and that some junior staffers worked shifts as long as 15 hours on Sunday.She said many employees felt trapped in mandatory overtime and thought that if they left, they might lose their jobs. According to the Spirit staffer, this fear stemmed from the airline's attendance policy regulated by the "Team Member Dependability Program," an 11-point system that keeps track of missed shifts or tardiness.The policy dings employees with points for planned absences, unplanned absences, no-shows, and late arrivals, according to a copy of the program obtained by Insider. Once a staff member accrues 11 points, they can be fired.<div type="image" title="Insider received a copy of the program handbook, which outlines how many points are docked for planned absences, unplanned absences, no-shows, and late arrivals. Once a staff member reaches 11 points, they can be fired on the spot." height="962" width="1720" msid="85103975" hostid="261"></div>A Spirit spokesperson did not respond to Insider's request for comment.Spirit Chief Operating Officer John Bendoraitis sent the airline's operations team an email about the cancellations roughly 12 hours after they began."Our scheduling disruption this weekend stems from weather and ATC delays that added up over the past week, taking a toll on our crew availability. I own this, and we have a plan," the internal email read. "Right now, all hands are on deck working around the clock to solve the network disruption. We will not stop until we are successful."The Transport Workers Union of America said in a statement on Thursday that Spirit Airlines executives have "shown little concern for the safety and mental well-being of their frontline agents at FLL, who have been attacked and even spat on - just for doing their job."Do you work for Spirit? Contact the reporter of this piece from a non-work email at htowey@insider.com

Spirit employee describes working amid the airline's hellish meltdown, with crying crew members, screaming customers, and desperate families stranded with young children

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi/Kolkata, Apr 11 () Amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, a war of words broke out between the Centre and the TMC government in West Bengal, with the Home Ministry accusing the state of "gradual dilution" of curbs and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee retorting the country is not fighting any "communal virus" but a disease.The home ministry on Saturday objected to what it called was a "gradual dilution" of lockdown in West Bengal, and said shops of non-essential goods were allowed to open in the state and the police granted permission to religious gatherings.In a communication to the chief secretary and the DGP of West Bengal, the ministry also said there was no regulation in vegetable, fish and mutton markets in many areas, including Rajabazaar, Narkel Danga, Topsia, Metiaburz, Gardenreach, Ikbalpur and Maniktala, where social-distancing norms were violated.Most of these localities are minority-dominated, and the state BJP unit has repeatedly alleged that lockdown was not properly enforced in such areas.The home ministry also said such activities are in violation of the central government's orders issued from time to time under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and are liable for penal action.Commenting on the Centre's observations, Banerjee said the Union government is only interested in "extra vigilance in some specific areas"."We are not fighting any communal virus, we are fighting a disease spreading through human contact. Wherever we find any problem, steps will be taken to ensure that the lockdown is imposed there, but that doesn't mean shops would remain closed... We are keeping a close watch," she told reporters at the state secretariat. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conference with chief ministers, Banerjee said that she raised the issue of some union ministers spreading "canards" against the state through "fake news"."In the meeting, we told the PM that we are cooperating with the Centre, but there are some people and leaders who are spreading fake news about the state and engaging in dirty games... We don't stand to lose or gain anything by increasing or decreasing the (COVID-19)death figures," she said.West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh came out in support of the Centre and accused the TMC government of not doing enough to enforce the lockdown, especially in minority-dominated places.Banerjee, earlier this week, had slammed the BJP's IT cell for spreading fake news against the state's health department over COVID-19 cases, and asked it to refrain from "petty politics" in the time of crisis. ACB PNT RBT NSDNSD

MHA objects to 'dilution' of lockdown in WB; Mamata says nation not fighting 'communal virus'

<ul><li>Jamtara scammers are using the lockdown to scam people with the promise of <keyword id="6359858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="alcohol">alcohol</keyword> <keyword id="40978" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="home-delivery">home delivery</keyword>.</li><li>As shelves at home run dry, people are looking to Google for their liquor needs only to get duped.</li><li>The scammers ask for advance payments, bank details and even offer ‘happy hour’ deals — only to leave you disappointed at the end of the day.</li></ul>If you’re looking to buy liquor during the lockdown — beware. It can understandably get boring as you sit at home and worry about how the coronavirus pandemic is going to play out. But trying to stock up on more alcohol may only add to your anxiety. If you have to place an order, make sure you’re only calling up a known contact and avoid making a payment in advance. Because, Jamtara scammers are making a comeback. The Jamtara scammers Jamtara, a small village in the state of Jharkhand is known for being the cybercrime hub in India. During the lockdown, shopping might have taken a hit, but cybercriminals found a new way to dupe bank account holders — this time scamming people looking to buy liquor during lockdown. Ordinarily, if a person is stuck at home and they’re looking to score some alcohol, their first instinct will be to a quick Google Search on liquor shops located close home. Most listings come with an accompanying number than you can call to check if the shop will deliver. However, there’s no way to easily verify if the listed number is genuine — or just somebody posing as the shop owner but located in some other part of the country. In the melee, anyone who’s desperate enough to transfer money in advance may end up losing a lot more than just the cost of alcohol. How does the liquor scam work? Let’s say you find a phone number on Google for the nearest liquor shop. You call them, and they say that they would be more than happy to deliver — provided you can make the payment beforehand. You’ll wait around for two or three hours before calling them to ask why your delivery hasn’t arrived yet. The people on the other end will likely say that they haven’t received the payment yet. However, if you share your bank details — they may be able to verify the transaction on their system. If you do share those details, the so-called ‘liquor shop’ will call you back in another 30 minutes to let you know that your payment has come through. But, that’s not where the scam ends. Since they have your confidential details at hand, they need your OTP to siphon off more money so they’ll try and lure you in with a ‘happy hour’ deal. In order to avail of the scheme, you have to just forward the OTP SMS that you get from your bank so that they can push the payment from their end. Within a few minutes, a large sum of money is likely to disappear from your account. You can call as many times as you would like, no-one will pick up the phone now. And, there won’t be any alcohol around to drown your sorrows in. How can you protect yourself from Jamtara scammers and their alcohol scheme? It’s obviously better if you have the number of your wine and beer shop beforehand. If you don’t, it’s probably better to forego the idea of buying alcohol — especially since it’s illegal to be supplying liquor during the lockdown anyway. If you do end up calling a number that’s promising the delivery of alcohol, choose to call a landline if the option is available. And, tell them that you will authorise the payment once the delivery is at your doorstep. Assuming you’re rich enough and a bottle of alcohol isn’t going to eat into your budget, you may be coerced into making the payment. But if the delivery still doesn’t show up, under no circumstances should you be sharing your bank details — with anyone. Not your debit card details, savings account details — and especially not your one-time-password (OTP). OTP is a secondary layer of protection, put in place specifically for the bank to ensure that you are the one authorising any payment that is going out of your account. If you share that OTP and someone else uses it for a transaction, the bank is going to assume that it’s still you making the payment at the end of the day. It’s a form of identity theft and you’ll have nobody to blame but yourself. Excise departments and cybercrime cells are already dealing with a variety of complaints with scammers using the names of well-known liquor shops to snatch money from accounts. In Kolkata, the cybersecurity wing of the police has received five complaints so far. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/coursera-india-ceo-sees-blended-campuses-thriving-once-the-pandemic-abates/articleshow/75313066.cms">Coursera's India MD sees 'blended campuses' thriving once the pandemic abates</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/mukesh-ambani-snatches-asias-richest-man-title-back-from-jack-ma-with-a-little-help-from-mark-zuckerberg/articleshow/75312823.cms">Mukesh Ambani snatches Asia’s richest man title back from Jack Ma with a little help from Mark Zuckerberg</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-is-the-secret-sauce-in-the-deal-between-facebook-and-reliance-jio/articleshow/75296172.cms">WhatsApp is the secret sauce in the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio</a>

Home delivery of alcohol is illegal — anyone telling you otherwise is probably trying to run a scam

<ul><li>The pandemic has led to a complete overhaul of the retail industry where more and more people are looking for contactless consumer experiences.</li><li>To solve this problem, <keyword id="155300" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Godrej-and-Boyce">Godrej and Boyce</keyword>’s premium furniture brand <keyword id="6382757" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="script">Script</keyword> is taking its stores live through WhatsApp.</li><li><keyword id="274281" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajat-Mathur">Rajat Mathur</keyword>, Business Head, Script by Godrej and Boyce talks to us about this strategy as well as everything else that the brand is doing to make its consumer experience frictionless.</li></ul>The country is slowly coming out of the lockdown. Malls and public places are being gradually opened. However, the fact still remains that the corona-crisis is far from over. India recently made headlines as the country having the maximum one-day jump in positive cases. It is therefore obvious that consumers, despite having an intent, might not feel comfortable in physically visiting shops and showrooms yet. This has thrown a major challenge for retail brands for which touch and feel is a very important part of the entire consumer journey. This challenge has made brands think out-of-the-box and come up with innovative, novel solutions to make consumers excited about their offerings. Script, a premium furniture brand from the Godrej and Boyce stable has recently come up with an innovative idea, to connect with its audience. It is taking its stores live via WhatsApp in 4 cities. The platform allows the brand to upload campaigns, catalogues, brand/product stories, while also building a direct contact with consumers. However, while strengthening its digital offerings, the brand is pretty confident that the brick and mortar stores will continue to stay relevant and people will come back to them soon. We spoke to Rajat Mathur, Business Head, Script by Godrej and Boyce who told us the brand’s efforts to build a stronger connect, to smoothen consumer journeys and also to make sure they come back to them, once things get back to normal. Excerpts: Q) What was the idea behind the <keyword id="9470958" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-store">WhatsApp store</keyword>? Have there been any logistical challenges of the WhatsApp store? Social distancing is likely to stay for a long time now, and we have always been looking forward to technological integrations in retail for enhancing the customer experience. The Whatsapp store is a versatile tool which helps us interact and engage with our customers. It’s almost like a micro site enabling rich content for our consumers. With a very simple user interface this platform allows us to upload campaigns, catalogues, brand / product stories and much more. It also helps us with customer query resolutions since it enables us to be in direct contact with them. It also helps us in giving virtual store tours to our customers. Also, since it’s a very simple application, we haven’t faced any logistical issues as yet. Q) What kind of reception have you seen so far? Can you share some figures, in terms of what kind of enquiries or actual conversions have you seen on your Whatsapp store so far? The response has been very encouraging. We have started getting a lot of enquiries on the Whatsapp store and have had conversions as well in most of our stores. The best part is that most of these conversions have large ticket values. Q) You have opened this facility in 4 cities so far. What are some of the other cities you want to take this feature to? We have started this initiative in Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore and Mumbai. We are also opening our Park Street, Kolkata store soon and have already implemented this there with the pre-cursor campaigns. Q) What will retail in this new world order mean? How will things be different once the lockdown is over completely? I think brick-and-mortar retail will continue to flourish post the lockdown. We will see a lot of technology integration in physical retail. This phase, if anything, will catalyze the omni-channel concept across industries and categories. Also, the success of a retail business greatly depends on its ability to adapt to the various lifestyle changes and be able to help its consumers have a seamless experience irrespective of the situation. With the world turning to the virtual aid, where the consumers cannot visit the store, we made the store come to them. The new world calls for a great sense of trust in any retail brand and to seed that, the retail industry needs to empathize, adapt and implement. Q) What role will technology play in the post COVID world? Necessity is the mother of invention and the COVID-19 outbreak proved this no end. As I said we can expect a lot of technology coming into physical retail. Phygital will be the new mantra across the country in the retail industry. A lot of technology based tools have already been developed and implemented. For the consumers, the post COVID era will greet them with a very different level of shopping experience powered by technology. Furthermore, there are organizations that are willing to continue the work from home model even after the post COVID world while there will be employees opting for the same as well. This makes us anticipate a growing demand for the multi-functional and work-from-home furniture like the Float Ecosystem, Lagoon Bed or the Dwell Ecosystem that will add to the efficacy of a consumer’s experience. Q) There has been an obvious increase in demand for home-office related furniture. Can you share how important this segment is for you right now, and what your area of focus going ahead will be? As the world goes through a pandemic, it is important to map out the challenges and opportunities for Script to communicate and stay connected with people. Clearly the following trends have emerged out during this phase and we believe strongly that these are here to stay for good. <ul><li>Home, which is the center of people’s universe, has become the new workspace</li><li>Focus on home activities with family</li><li>Furniture is central to all activities</li><li>Home aesthetics and functionality matter</li><li>Furniture is the new essential</li></ul> The work from home segment is extremely important for us and we are working on coming up with smart solutions towards the same with the intent of giving our customers the greatest level of experience while they work from their home spaces. We are in the process of designing compact WFM ecosystems which will be out in the market by November this year. While WFH is big today, Script is committed to providing creative solutions for other activities in the home space and those which are integral to today’s urban living. So we are working on creating solutions for binge-watching, socializing, reading, other me-time activities so on and so forth. Q) Being a retail, consumer-facing brand, what have your key learnings from the experience been so far? Retail will remain a relevant experience for both consumers and brands. It has become part of the society’s fabric; a ritual with firm roots in contemporary living. As such, retail is not going away anytime soon. For someone with a high disposable income, going to a retail store provides twin joys: the experiential joy of the place itself as well as the joy of taking part in a pleasurable, indulgent social activity. Since our stores reopened, we have been pleasantly surprised to see the level of footfalls we are getting. It is almost the same as last year for the same period. Thus, reinstating our firm belief that furniture is the new essential. During the lockdown people have had an opportunity to interact with their home space unlike ever before. Consumers also realized that this pandemic has led to a permanent cultural shift, WFH being a prime example. Also since furniture is a category which solicits touch and feel before a final buying decision is taken, physical retail in this category will never lose relevance. Q) Where will the next phase of growth for Script come from? What will your key areas of focus be, going ahead? Growth for Script will come from both, business from the existing stores and expansion through the new stores. We are relatively a new brand. Most of our stores have been around just for a year at most and we expect them to grow at inorganic rates. Apart from this, we are looking at adding 5 new stores every year for the next 3 years. The Pandemic has catalyzed online retail growth across categories. We are hopeful of improving our online sales. Definitely creating a great omni-channel experience for the customer is the way forward for us. Q) How did your marketing strategies change during the lockdown months, and going ahead, what will your broad marketing strategies be? During the lockdown phase, we moved forward with the following philosophy: <ul><li>Communication and messaging should primarily show genuine empathy and solidarity. People are seeking out smaller moments of joy and reasons that will distract them at least a little from the dark reality looming outside their quarantine windows.</li><li>By offering something that people want, positioning it as something that eases their guilt of purchase or helps them justify their needs will help build RELATIONSHIPS with the consumers. And the power of these relationships should not be underestimated.</li><li>Even going forward, we believe that merely regular brand messaging and product pushing will not work. Messages that relate to these lifestyle changes and are relevant to positioning the products as needs and essentials will reinforce the brand relevance.</li><li>We need to highlight ways in which the brand is doing its bit to give back to the community.</li></ul>

You Searched For "kolkata ATC loses contact" and got 7 results

Kolkata ATC lost link with 85 aircrafts for 10 minutes and we skipped a heartbeat

BI India Bureau

Airtel and Ericsson demo over 1 GBPS throughput on live 5G trial network in Gurgaon's Cyber Hub

PTI

Shark Tank India: Judges back a co-founder but not his company due to its unjust equity structure

Srishti Magan

Spirit employee describes working amid the airline's hellish meltdown, with crying crew members, screaming customers, and desperate families stranded with young children

Hannah Towey

MHA objects to 'dilution' of lockdown in WB; Mamata says nation not fighting 'communal virus'

PTI

Home delivery of alcohol is illegal — anyone telling you otherwise is probably trying to run a scam

Prabhjote Gill

How Godrej and Boyce’s WhatsApp stores are ensuring social distancing doesn’t become a deterrent for sales

Samarpita Banerjee

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You Searched For "kolkata ATC loses contact" and got 7 results

​Kolkata ATC lost link with 85 aircrafts for 10 minutes and we skipped a heartbeat

BI India Bureau

Airtel and Ericsson demo over 1 GBPS throughput on live 5G trial network in Gurgaon's Cyber Hub

PTI

Shark Tank India: Judges back a co-founder but not his company due to its unjust equity structure

Srishti Magan

Spirit employee describes working amid the airline's hellish meltdown, with crying crew members, screaming customers, and desperate families stranded with young children

Hannah Towey

MHA objects to 'dilution' of lockdown in WB; Mamata says nation not fighting 'communal virus'

PTI

Home delivery of alcohol is illegal — anyone telling you otherwise is probably trying to run a scam

Prabhjote Gill

How Godrej and Boyce’s WhatsApp stores are ensuring social distancing doesn’t become a deterrent for sales

Samarpita Banerjee

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides

Kolkata ATC lost link with 85 aircrafts for 10 minutes and we skipped a heartbeat